Post-Game Talk: Leafs no shows in game 1. Trail series 1-0

[saffronleaf]

So glad there's a Vancouver game. Need some eye bleach.

Boring as shit game. I get that their D was tight but like wtf. Andersen with his patented Bernieresque performance.

Marner is so useless I can't find the words to express it.

 

[Menzinger]

It was a 1 goal game/loss. Very frustrating but imo defensively the team was decent save for a few errors.

This team should be expected to generate a couple goals at least.

 

[Mickey Marner]

Matthews was excellent. Andersen was good, save the one weak goal. Tavares line was bullcrap. Nylander needs to support Matthews on the cycle. Muzzin was arsehole. 3rd line was good on the rush, but shit on the cycle. Keefe needs to get his guys going.

 

[ToneDog]

We waited 4 months for that pathetic effort?

 

[thewave]

Dubas created a pond hockey team. Columbus and Carolina play a style that wins. We play a style that looks good in the regular season but gets shut down in the playoffs.

That's pretty much what we were trying to tell the cult followers of Dubas here.

 

[Cap'n Flavour]

This team has no heart. Need Kadri back. Too much money tied to no shows.

Kadri would have been suspended by now.

 

[Incognito]

How does a team with our level of offensive potency not even manage one measly goal? Columbus may be a lot less talented than we are but none of that matters when they have a system that they buy into and we don't.

 

[CelticDruid]

Matthews tried hard and Andersen made it close................
Can't think of anything else positive.............

Overall it was just an easy game for the CBJ

 

[Ratboy]

We should be building a team like theirs

 

[Dave92]

Imagine what Jarmo and Torts could do with our roster and resources. At least we have no cap space left to screw up next year. I don't blame Keefe tho i just think Torts is a better NHL coach right now.

Tort has probably fought more in his coaching career that Keefe did while playing lol.

 

[mcleex]

The worst part about this garbage team losing is that management is gonna try to pawn it off on the whole covid shutdown

You know Dubas is gonna try to play the covid card as an excuse

 

[TMLlegoclub]

why did we see so little of Goat Clifford Spezza. I don't think those guys saw the ice in the 3rd period.

why the f are they there?! perhaps they could have shown a different look the than smooth blue line drop pass game the others are playing.

Keefe and Dubas are in big trouble here.

freddy played really well. he doesn't deserve any knocks.

 

[Auston Richard]

I told my friend that this game will 100% dictate if the leafs are real or not. Their overpaid stars have seemed apathetic for years.

Are they for real now? We'll know by the end of todays game.

And now we know...

I have a suspicion that Dubas will be fired this summer/fall, and some major trades will happen.

And no, I don't think this is an overreaction. The apathy I saw with our star country club players today is the same apathy I've seen in 3 straight playoff losses. They simply don't really care. This is a business to them.

 

[Seath The Scaleless]

Leafs need to find a way to penetrate that Columbus wall of D. Way too much perimeter play and I don't recall a lot of great chances

Also, I see our zone breakouts are still a mess against a heavy forecheck lol

 

[TheTotalPackage]

Even in the dead of summer at the beginning of August this team lets you down and breaks your heart. Argh!

 

[HawkeyTalkMan]

marner would be near impossible to move for fair value with a stagnant cap though if he keeps this type of play up during the playoffs. teams absolutely will want him, but they will smell blood in the water in Toronto, especially with the leafs cap issues

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

That was bad, really bad.
No excuses here.
Also Marner should be benched for that performance.

Don't know what you saw that team worked their ass off Freddie gave up 1 goal

 

[GermanSpitfire]

holy crap Ceci sucks

 

[ORRFForever]

Shit game. Matthews line was stymied and Tavares and Marner were invisible. Andersen made plenty of good saves but in typical playoff fashion for him he let in a soft goal at a bad time, right after a dominant shift to start the third by the Matthews line.

Columbus played us heavy all night and they didn’t let much through. Leafs need to fight for it or they’ll find themselves out in a hurry.

Great post.

 

[wingman75]

What do you say? So terribly disappointed that this team is what we thought they were.

So many things they need to do better if they are to have a chance... not sure these players can or are willing to do what is needed. In the end, as was predicted the team with the better goalie won. Say what you will about how the forwards and defence played, Korpisalo was better than Andersen and we all knew if that was the case we were not winning this series.

Oh well, all my excitement has been put back in the box for another year at least.

PS: Marner can close the door on his way out

 

[Stephen]

It's telling when every Columbus player skates 100% and in straight lines and the Leafs look like they're trying to make the perfect play. And by perfect I mean a low percentage "skill" play that doesn't require physical contact.

 

[The Legend]

Only one player on our team looked dangerous, and that's Matthews. Not exactly a recipe for success.

A far bigger problem? That it genuinely looked like this was the first time a lot of these guys played together. How many passes in the O-zone were into empty corners? How many cycled passes were to no one in blue? Kappy peeling off a breakaway for a trailer that wasn't even there? Hyman intercepting like 13 cross-ice passes? Chemistry was completely off, which is sort of mind boggling given that this core has been together forever (though the circumstances are admittedly difficult).

Not writing them off (especially if they start to get a whistle or two) but not exactly a confidence-inspiring performance.

 

[theTTC]

Started out great in the 3rd period, hemmed them, then Freddy lets in a weak goal. You can't be an elite goalie and let goals like that in. He can save all those amazing saves, but if you let weak ones like that in those saves are meaningless.

I opine if you only give up one goal, and your team is built as an offensive juggernaut, that should be good enough for a win anytime. No blame on Freddy.

 

[Ziggdiezan]

I don’t blame them. The way this game went, I thought it was over too. They couldn’t create anything

Understandable but you still have to have the belief you can get back in it and the will to try like hell regardless

 

[Le Cobra]

Freddie did his job. The rest of the team let him down. The Leafs need to play with more hunger. The energy I witnessed was not playoff hockey from the Leafs. CBJ were toying with us at the end of the 3rd.

I didn’t sense any fear of the leafs offense from CBJ but that’s probably also because I didn’t sense any urgency in the Leafs either.

It’s too bad the Leafs didn’t use that saucer flip against Boston so many years ago when they were up 5-2 in game 7.